U.S. patent application number 13/855904 was filed with the patent office on 2013-10-17 for systems and methods for scoring competitive strategy predictions of users on a play-by-play basis.
The applicant listed for this patent is Pre Play Sports LLC. Invention is credited to Andrew Daines, Lachlan Laycock.
Application Number | 20130273987 13/855904 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45975598 |
Filed Date | 2013-10-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130273987 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Laycock; Lachlan ; et
al. |
October 17, 2013 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SCORING COMPETITIVE STRATEGY PREDICTIONS OF
USERS ON A PLAY-BY-PLAY BASIS
Abstract
The present disclosure describes, among other things, a method
that may include receiving, by a first computing device, an
identity of an event that has occurred in a sporting competition,
the sporting competition comprising a plurality of events. The
method may include determining, by a processor of the first
computing device, a probability that the event would occur. The
method may include determining, by the processor of the first
computing device, a number of points based at least in part on the
probability that the event would occur. The method may include
receiving, by the first computing device, a prediction of an event
from a second computing device in communication with the first
computing device. The method may include increasing, by the
processor of the first computing device, a score of a user of the
second computing device by the number of points if the prediction
of the event matches the identity of the event.
Inventors: |
Laycock; Lachlan; (Paris,
FR) ; Daines; Andrew; (New York, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Pre Play Sports LLC |
New York |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
45975598 |
Appl. No.: |
13/855904 |
Filed: |
April 3, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13276191 |
Oct 18, 2011 |
8449361 |
|
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13855904 |
|
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61394010 |
Oct 18, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/9 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 2300/308 20130101;
A63F 13/65 20140902; A63F 13/2145 20140902; A63F 13/352 20140902;
A63F 13/798 20140902; A63F 13/792 20140902; G06Q 10/10 20130101;
A63F 13/812 20140902; A63F 13/87 20140902; G06Q 50/34 20130101;
A63F 13/833 20140902; A63F 13/67 20140902; A63F 13/803 20140902;
A63F 13/46 20140902 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/9 |
International
Class: |
A63F 13/12 20060101
A63F013/12 |
Claims
1.-19. (canceled)
20. A method comprising: receiving, in real time via a first
network, an identity of a first event that has occurred in a live
sporting competition, wherein the live sporting competition
comprises a plurality of events; identifying, by a processor of a
computing device, two or more potential next plays, wherein the two
or more potential next plays are identified based at least in part
upon the first event; causing, by the processor, display of the two
or more potential next plays to a user of a second computing
device, wherein the second computing device is in communication
with the first computing device via a second network, each play of
the two or more potential next plays is associated with a
selectable control, and the respective selectable controls are
activated for selection for a predetermined period of time;
receiving, from the second computing device, within the
predetermined period of time, a prediction of a next event, wherein
the next event comprises a first play of the two or more potential
next plays; receiving, in real time via the first network, an
identity of a second event that has occurred in the live sporting
competition, wherein the second event comprises an actual next
play; determining, by the processor, a match between the next event
and the second event; responsive to determining the match,
determining, by the processor, a number of points associated with
the prediction of the next event, and increasing, by the processor,
a score of the user based upon success of prediction of the next
event; and causing, by the processor, display of an indication of
success of the prediction of the next event to the user of the
second computing device.
21. The method of claim 20, comprising, responsive to the second
event, updating, in real time, at least one statistic associated
with at least one of a) a player involved in the second event, and
b) a sporting team involved in the second event.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the live sporting competition
is a baseball game, the second event comprises a turn at bat for
the player, and the at least one statistic comprises a batting
average.
23. The method of claim 20, comprising, prior to receiving the
prediction, causing, by the processor, display of a competition
status to the user of the second computing device.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the competition status
comprises one or more of a) a current score of the live sporting
competition, b) a remaining time of at least a portion of the live
sporting competition, and c) a plurality of past events within the
live sporting competition.
25. The method of claim 23, wherein the competition status
comprises position information regarding at least one of a) one or
more players in the live sporting competition, and b) a ball.
26. The method of claim 20, wherein causing display of the two or
more potential next plays comprises causing display of a timer,
wherein the timer illustrates passage of the predetermined period
of time.
27. The method of claim 20, comprising determining, by the
processor, a probability of occurrence of the next event, wherein
determining the number of points comprises determining the number
of points based at least in part upon the probability of occurrence
of the next event.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the probability of occurrence
is determined after receiving the identity of the second event.
29. The method of claim 20, wherein the first network is the second
network.
30. An apparatus, comprising: a processor; and memory, the memory
storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause
the processor to: receive, in real time via a first network, an
identity of a first event that has occurred in a live sporting
competition, wherein the live sporting competition comprises a
plurality of events; identify two or more potential next plays,
wherein the two or more potential next plays are identified based
at least in part upon the first event; cause display of the two or
more potential next plays to a user of a computing device, wherein;
the computing device is in communication with the apparatus via a
second network, and each play of the two or more potential next
plays is associated with a selectable control; receive, from the
computing device, a prediction of a next event, wherein the
prediction comprises selection of a first selectable control
associated with a first play of the two or more potential next
plays; receive, in real time via the first network, an identity of
a second event that has occurred in the live sporting competition,
wherein the second event comprises an actual next play; determine
that the next event matches the second event; and responsive to
determining the next event matches the second event, determine a
number of points to associate with the prediction, and cause
display, to the user of the computing device, of a score of the
user, wherein the score of the user is adjusted based upon the
number of points.
31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the score of the user is a
prediction score associated with a type of the live sporting
competition, wherein the user is associated with at least one
additional prediction score.
32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the at least one additional
prediction score comprises a cumulative prediction score based upon
a total number of predictions submitted by the user via a
competitive strategy prediction service.
33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the instructions, when
executed, further cause the processor to, responsive to determining
the next event matches the second event, adjust a prediction
percentage score associated with the user, wherein the prediction
percentage score identifies a percentage of correct predictions
made by the user.
34. A method comprising: receiving, via a first network, a
plurality of predictions of an upcoming event, wherein the upcoming
event comprises a play within a live sporting competition, and each
prediction of the plurality of predictions is associated with a
respective user of a plurality of users, wherein the plurality of
users are competing in a competition group via a competitive
strategy prediction service, and each respective user of the
plurality of users is associated with a user account of the
strategy prediction service; receiving, via a second network, in
real time, identification of a next event that has occurred in the
live sporting competition; identifying, by a processor of a
computing device, a subset of users of the plurality of users
associated with a respective prediction matching the next event;
responsive to the respective prediction matching the next event,
modifying, by the processor, a score of each user of the subset of
users, wherein the respective user account comprises the score; and
for at least a first user of the plurality of users, causing, by
the processor, upon a display area of a computing device used to
issue the respective prediction of the first user, presentation of
for each additional user of the plurality of users, an
identification of the respective user, and the respective
prediction of the respective user.
35. The method of claim 34, wherein modifying the score of each
user of the subset of users comprises determining a number of
points to allocate to the respective user based in part upon
predictions of other users of the plurality of users.
36. The method of claim 35, wherein modifying the score of each
user of the subset of users comprises: determining the subset of
users consists of one user; and responsive to determining only one
user successfully predicted the next event, increasing the
respective score of the one user by an additional amount.
37. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one prediction of the
plurality of predictions indicates a lack of selection of a
prediction by the respective user.
38. The method of claim 34, wherein the plurality of users comprise
a competition league, wherein the competition league competes, via
the competitive strategy prediction service, with at least one
additional competition league, wherein each additional competition
league of the at least one additional competition league comprises
two or more additional users.
39. The method of claim 38, comprising: determining, for each user
of the plurality of users, a respective standing within the
competition league, wherein the respective standing is based at
least in part upon the respective score of each users of the
plurality of users; and causing, by the processor, upon the display
area of the computing device used to issue the respective
prediction of the first user, presentation of standings for each
user of at least a subset of the plurality of users.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/394,010, entitled "Systems and Methods for
Scoring Competitive Strategy Predictions of Users on a Play-by-Play
Basis" and filed Oct. 18, 2010, the contents of which are hereby
incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Competitive strategy prediction competitions are generally
directed to individual metrics gathered at predetermined times
throughout the sporting season. For example, in fantasy leagues,
individuals may create hypothetical teams and accrue points based
on the selected athletes' performance throughout the season.
SUMMARY
[0003] In one aspect, the present disclosure describes a method
that may include receiving, by a first computing device, an
identity of an event that has occurred in a sporting competition,
the sporting competition comprising a plurality of events. The
method may include determining, by a processor of the first
computing device, a probability that the event would occur. The
method may include determining, by the processor of the first
computing device, a number of points based at least in part on the
probability that the event would occur. The method may include
receiving, by the first computing device, a prediction of an event
from a second computing device in communication with the first
computing device. The method may include increasing, by the
processor of the first computing device, a score of a user of the
second computing device by the number of points if the prediction
of the event matches the identity of the event.
[0004] The sporting competition may include at least one sporting
competition from a set including a football game, a baseball game,
an ice hockey game, a boxing match, a tennis game, a golf game, a
motor sporting competition, a martial arts competition, an
automative racing competition, a basketball game, a cricket game, a
rugby game, or a horse race. The football game may include at least
one of an American football game or a soccer game.
[0005] Determining the probability that the event would occur may
include identifying past events. Identifying past events similar to
the event that has occurred may include identifying past events
based at least in part on a team, a number of a down in a football
game, an identity of a quarterback, a score differential between
the teams, an amount of time remaining in a competition, and a
season record for the team. Identifying past events similar to the
event that has occurred may include identifying past events based
at least in part on a score differential between teams, a period of
time within a competition, a location of the competition, an
identity of a pitcher, an identity of a batter, a number of outs in
an inning, and a position of a runner on a base. Determining the
number of points may include determining the number of points based
at least in part on an inverse relationship with the probability
that the event would occur. Determining the number of points may
include subtracting the probability from 100.
[0006] The method may include decreasing the score of the user when
the prediction of the event does not match the identity of the
event. The method may include determining the prediction of an
event is null when a predetermined period of time elapses. In one
aspect, the present disclosure describes an apparatus. The
apparatus may include a processor and a memory. The memory may
store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the
processor to receive an identity of an event that has occurred in a
sporting competition, the sporting competition comprising a
plurality of events; determine a probability that the event would
occur; determine a number of points based at least in part on the
probability that the event would occur; receive a prediction of an
event from a computing device; and increase a score of a user of
the computing device by the number of points if the prediction of
the event matches the identity of the event.
[0007] The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the
processor, cause the processor to identify past events similar to
the event that has occurred and determine the probability based on
the past events. The memory may store instructions that, when
executed by the processor, cause the processor to identify past
events based at least in part on a team, a number of a down in a
football game, an identity of a quarterback, a score differential
between the teams, an amount of time remaining in a competition,
and a season record for the team. The memory may store instructions
that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to
identify past events based at least in part on a score differential
between teams, a period of time within a competition, a location of
the competition, an identity of a pitcher, an identity of a batter,
a number of outs in an inning, and a position of a runner on a
base.
[0008] The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the
processor, cause the processor to determine the number of points
based at least in part on an inverse relationship with the
probability that the event would occur. The memory may store
instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the
processor to subtract the probability from 100.
[0009] The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the
processor, cause the processor to decrease the score of the user
when the prediction of the event does not match the identity of the
event. The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the
processor, cause the processor to determine the prediction of an
event is null when a predetermined period of time elapses.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0010] The foregoing and other objects, aspects, features, and
advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent and
better understood by referring to the following description taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary network
environment 100 for scoring competitive strategy predictions of
users on a play-by-play;
[0012] FIG. 2 is an exemplary user interface for accessing an
application related to a competitive strategy prediction
service;
[0013] FIGS. 3 and 4 are exemplary user interfaces for signing into
an application related to a competitive strategy prediction
service;
[0014] FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface for creating an
account with a competitive strategy prediction service;
[0015] FIG. 6 is an exemplary user interface for submitting an
image for an account with a competitive strategy prediction
service;
[0016] FIG. 7 is an exemplary user interface with a menu of
functions;
[0017] FIGS. 8 and 9 are exemplary user interfaces for viewing
information about upcoming competitions;
[0018] FIGS. 10-12 are exemplary user interfaces for viewing
information about recent competitions;
[0019] FIGS. 13 and 14 are exemplary user interfaces for viewing
information about current competitions;
[0020] FIG. 15 is an exemplary user interface for using the
competitive strategy service for a competition;
[0021] FIG. 16 is an exemplary user interface depicting past events
for a competition;
[0022] FIGS. 17-25 are exemplary user interfaces with potential
plays for a competition;
[0023] FIGS. 26-30 are exemplary user interfaces used in the course
of making a prediction for a play in a competition;
[0024] FIGS. 31-32 are exemplary user interfaces for communicating
between users during a competition;
[0025] FIGS. 33-36 are exemplary user interfaces for displaying
statistics regarding users;
[0026] FIGS. 37-40 are exemplary user interfaces for adding
contacts to the competitive strategy prediction service;
[0027] FIGS. 41A and 41B are block diagrams of exemplary computing
devices;
[0028] FIG. 42 is an exemplary user interfaces for viewing
information about current ice hockey competitions;
[0029] FIG. 43 is an exemplary user interface for using the
competitive strategy service for an ice hockey competition;
[0030] FIG. 44 is an exemplary user interface used in the course of
making a prediction for an outcome of a sporting competition;
[0031] FIGS. 45-47 are exemplary user interfaces used in the course
of making a prediction for a play in a competition;
[0032] FIGS. 48-49 are exemplary user interfaces used in the course
of making a prediction for an outcome in a competition;
[0033] FIG. 50 is an exemplary user interface for displaying
statistics about a boxing match; and
[0034] FIG. 51 is an exemplary user interface for comparing
statistics between two users who made predictions for a boxing
match.
[0035] The features and advantages of the present disclosure will
become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below
when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which like
reference characters identify corresponding elements throughout. In
the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical,
functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] In some implementations, the present disclosure may be
directed to a system and method for scoring competitive strategy
predictions of users on a play-by-play basis. A competitive
strategy prediction service may manage user accounts. A user may
select a sporting competition in progress and view events (also
referred to herein as "plays") that have already occurred. The user
may select an event from a plurality of potential events presented
by the competitive strategy service to make a prediction. The
service may update the user's prediction score based on a
comparison between the user's prediction and the actual event. The
server may update the user's prediction score based on a comparison
between the user's prediction, the actual event, and other users'
predictions. The user may belong to one or more groups (e.g.,
leagues) in which the user competes against other users based on
their prediction scores.
[0037] The present disclosure may include a method for scoring
competitive strategy predictions of users on a play-by-play basis.
The method may include requesting in real-time, by a processor on a
first computing device, an identity of an event for a sporting
competition comprising a plurality of events. The method may
include receiving, by the first computing device, the identity of
the event. The method may include transmitting, by the first
computing device, a plurality of predictions for the event to a
second computing device, the plurality of predictions including the
identity of the event received. The method may include receiving,
by the first computing device, a selection from the plurality of
predictions from the second computing device. The method may
include updating, by the first computing device, a score of a user
of the second computing device based on a comparison of the
selection and the identity of the event.
[0038] In some implementations, the systems and methods of the
present disclosure may be applied to any sporting competition.
Exemplary sporting competitions may include football games (e.g.,
American Football games such as the National Football League (NFL)
games, or soccer games), baseball games, ice hockey games, boxing
matches, tennis matches, golf games, motor sporting competitions,
automotive racing competitions (e.g., competitions organized by the
National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), martial
arts competitions (e.g., competitions organized by Ultimate
Fighting Championship (UFC)), wrestling competitions, basketball
games, cricket games, rugby games, Olympic games and events, and/or
horse races. In some implementations, sporting competitions may
include professional sporting competitions. In other
implementations, sporting competitions may include collegiate
sporting competitions or amateur sporting competitions.
[0039] Referring now to FIG. 1, an implementation of a network
environment 100 for scoring competitive strategy predictions of
users on a play-by-play basis is shown and described. In brief
overview, the network environment includes a computing device such
as competition management server 105 that provides a competitive
strategy prediction service and that may include a memory (not
shown), a computing device such as an event feed server 110, and a
plurality of computing devices such as user computing devices
115a-n. The network environment 100 may include remote devices 120,
120b in communication with the event feed server 110. The
competition management server 105, event feed server 110, user
computing devices 115a-n, and/or remote devices 120 may communicate
over one or more networks 120.
[0040] The event feed server 110 may include information regarding
events regarding sporting competitions (e.g., "plays"). In some
implementations, an event feed server 110 may aggregate information
about plays in on-going sporting competitions from various sources,
such as remote devices 120a, 120b. In some implementations,
attendees at the sporting competitions may have the remote devices
120. Each attendee may input information about the sporting
competition into a remote device 120. For example, an attendee may
input the starting line-up for each baseball team at a baseball
competition. The attendee may input the starting pitcher. The
attendee may input information about a player substitution in the
competition.
[0041] In some implementations, an attendee may input information
about plays of a competition into a remote device 120. For example,
the attendee may input that a player on a football team fumbled,
resulting in an incomplete pass. For example, the attendee may
input that a boxer knocked out his opponent. The remote device 120
may send the information to the event feed server 110. The event
feed server 110 may store the information and/or index the
information based on the identity of the sporting competition.
[0042] The event feed server 110 may send information about the
sporting competitions to the competition management server 105. In
some implementations, the competition management server 105 may
send information received from the event feed server 110 to the
user computing devices 115. In some implementations, the
competition management server 105 may directly pass information
from the event feed server 110 to the user computing devices 115.
For example, the competition management server 105 may identify
user computing devices 115 on which users are following a current
sporting competition, such as a football competition between Team A
and Team B. When the competition management server 105 receives
information from the event feed server 110 about the football
competition between Team A and Team B, the server 105 may directly
pass the information to the user computing devices 115 with users
who are following that competition. In some implementations, the
server 105 may send the information via a JavaScript Object
Notation (JSON) or Extensible Markup Language (XML) application
programming interface (API).
[0043] In some implementations, a user account for the competitive
strategy prediction service may include a subscription for
information related to a topic, such as American football teams in
the National Football League. The user computing device 115 through
which the user account accesses the competitive strategy prediction
service may maintain a connection with the competition management
server 105. In some implementations, the connection may include a
data channel. The data channel may be centralized. In some
implementations, the user computing device 115 may have
substantially continuous communication with the data channel via a
persisted open connection. The data channel may be associated with
information related to the topic. When the competition management
server 105 receives information related to the topic, the server
105 may send the information to the data channel (e.g., publish the
information to the data channel). In some implementations, the user
computing device 115 may access the data channel via a
subscription, by way of example. The device 115 may access
information published to the data channel.
[0044] The competition management server 105 may store information
received from the event feed server 110. In some implementations,
the competition management server 105 may process the information.
In some implementations, processing the information may update
statistics relating to athletes or sporting competitions. For
example, when the event feed server 110 sends information on an
event, such as a pitcher striking out a batter, the competition
management server 105 may retrieve information about the batter's
batting average against the pitcher and overall batting average.
Based on the batter's strikeout, the competition management server
105 may determine updated batting averages for the batter. The
server 105 may overwrite obsolete values for the batting averages
in memory with the updated values. In some implementations, the
server 105 may send the updated averages to the user computing
devices 115.
[0045] The competition management server 105 may store accounts for
users of the competitive strategy prediction service. In some
implementations, an account may include identification information
of the user, such as the user's name and account password. In some
implementations, an account may include information about the
user's friends with accounts for the competitive strategy
prediction service, the user's competitive leagues, and/or the
user's prediction score(s). In some implementations, an account may
include the identities of social networks for which the user has
accounts. In some implementations, the account may include
authentication and/or credentials for the social network
accounts.
[0046] In some implementations, a prediction score may be a number
of points that user has accrued by making accurate predictions for
sporting competitions (also referred to herein as "prediction point
score"). In some implementations, a prediction score may be a
percentage of the number of accurate predictions the user has made
compared to the user's total number of predictions (also referred
to herein as "prediction percentage score"). In many
implementations, users may have both prediction point scores and/or
prediction accuracy percentage scores. A user may have one
cumulative prediction score of each type (e.g., points,
percentage). A user may have separate prediction scores of each
type for each competitive league the user belongs to (e.g.,
prediction scores for Friends League A, Acquaintances League B). In
some implementations, the user may have separate prediction scores
of each type according to the type of sporting competitions the
user makes predictions for (e.g., baseball prediction scores,
football prediction scores).
[0047] In various implementations, an account may include the
user's settings. The settings may include a user's preferences for
sporting competitions. For example, a user may indicate a
preference for football competitions over baseball competitions.
Further, the user may indicate a preference for football
competitions in the American Football Conference (AFC) over
competitions in the National Football Conference (NFC).
Additionally, the user may indicate a preference for competitions
in the Eastern Division of the AFC over competitions in the other
divisions. The user may set preferences for sporting competitions
in any manner that would be understood by one of ordinary skill in
the art.
[0048] In operation, the user may access the competitive strategy
prediction service by using a user computing device 115. The user
computing device 115 may include an application that connects the
user to the competitive strategy prediction service on the
competition management server 105. In various implementations, the
user may obtain the application by downloading the application from
the competitive strategy prediction service's website or a
third-party provider of applications, such as the iTunes.TM.
stores. Activating the application may automatically connect the
device 115 to the competition management server 105.
[0049] In some implementations, activating the application may
direct the user to an introductory user interface (UI) 200, such as
the exemplary screenshot depicted in FIG. 2. The user interface 200
may include a sign in control 205, a control 210 for creating an
account with the competitive strategy prediction service (e.g., a
control to join the service), and a control 215 for using the
service as a guest.
[0050] If a user selects the sign in control 205, the user
computing device 115 may display a sign in user interface 300 or
400, such as the exemplary screenshots depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4.
The user interfaces 300, 400 may request credentials from the user.
For example, the user interfaces 300, 400 may include fields 305,
405 for the user to input a username. For example, the user
interfaces 300, 400 may include fields 310, 410 for the user to
input a password. In some implementations, a user interface 400 may
include a control 415 whose activations sends information (e.g.,
credentials) inputted into fields 405, 410 to the competition
management server 105. In some implementations, the user interface
400 may include a social network login control 420. If the user
selects this control 420, the application may redirect the user to
the login interface for the social network (not shown). The user
may enter credentials for the social network into the login
interface, and the credentials may be used to access the user's
account for the competition strategy prediction service.
[0051] If a user selects the control 210 for creating an account
with the competition strategy prediction service, the user
computing device 115 may display an account creation user interface
500, such as the exemplary screenshots depicted in FIG. 5. The
account creation user interface 500 may include fields 505, 510,
515, 520, 525 that may accept the username, name, e-mail address,
password, and favorite team of the user. The account creation user
interface 500 may include other fields that accept other
information for the account. In some implementations, a user
interface 500 may include a control 530 whose activations sends the
information inputted into fields 505, 510, 515, 520, 525 to the
competition management server 105. Upon receipt of the information,
the server 105 may create an account with the information provided
in the fields 505, 510, 515, 520, 525.
[0052] In some implementations, an account creation user interface
600 may permit a user to submit an image to the account, as shown
in FIG. 6. In some implementations, the image may appear as an icon
or avatar, by way of example, whenever the user accesses the
application on the user computing device 115. The user may select
an image stored on the user computing device 115. Upon selection,
the image may appear in a window 603 on the device 115. The user
may select a control 605 to include the image in the account (e.g.,
upload the image to the account). In some implementations, a user
may select a control 610 to forgo including an image in his or her
account.
[0053] In some implementations, after the user accesses the
competitive strategy prediction service, the competition management
server 105 may transmit a menu to the user computing device 115,
such as the menu in the user interface 700 of FIG. 7. The menu in
the user interface 700 may include icons that permit a user to view
a list of competitions 705 (e.g., "Play"), access results of
competitions previously tracked 710 (e.g., "My Competitions"), view
results in competitive leagues 715, view overall standings for
users of the service 720, view results for friends using the
competitive strategy prediction service 725, change account
settings 730, or any other option as would be appreciated by one of
ordinary skill in the art. Each of these functionalities may be
explained in more detail in the present disclosure.
[0054] In some implementations, when the user selects the icon to
view competitions 705, the user computing device 115 may display a
menu that allows the user to view lists of current, upcoming, and
recent competitions, as depicted in the exemplary screenshots 800,
900 of FIGS. 8 and 9. The icon to view competitions 705 may remain
visible on the user interfaces 800, 900, 1000. The user may select
a tab 805 on the user interface 800 to view a list of upcoming
sporting competitions 810. The user interface 800 may include the
dates 815 of the upcoming competitions. The user interface 800 may
include the start times 820 of the upcoming competitions.
[0055] By selecting a competition in a list of upcoming
competitions, the user computing device 115 may display a user
interface 900 with information about the competition. For example,
the information may include the records of the athletic teams
(e.g., 3 wins and 1 loss). In some implementations, the user
interface 900 may include a control 910 that allows the user to
predict which team will win the coin toss. If the user makes an
accurate prediction, the competition management server 105 may add
points to the user's prediction score.
[0056] In some implementations, the user interface 900 may include
a control 915 that requests a reminder for the competition. If the
user selects the reminder control 915, the service may send the
user a reminder regarding the competition. For example, the service
may send an e-mail reminder to the user an hour before the
competition begins. For example, the service may send a text
message reminder to the user an hour before the competition begins.
For example, the service may cause the computing device to sound an
alarm an hour before the competition begins. Although the reminders
described herein occur an hour before the competition begins, any
period of time may be used. In some implementations, the service
may send multiple reminders to the user prior to the start of the
competition.
[0057] Referring now to FIG. 10, a user may select a tab 1005 on
the user interface 1000 to view a list of recent, completed
sporting competitions 1010. The user interface 1000 may include the
final results 1015 of the recent, completed competitions. By
selecting a competition from the list 1010, the computing device
110 may display a user interface 1100 or 1200 with statistics 1110
or 1210 on the competition, such as the exemplary screenshots 1100
or 1200 of FIGS. 11 and 12. Statistics on a competition, such as an
American football game, may include the final score, the number of
points scored in each quarter, the yardage for rushing, the yardage
for passing, the number of third down conversions, the number of
touchdowns, the number of successful field goal attempts, or any
other statistic as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in
the art. In some implementations, the competition management server
105 receives the statistics from the remote devices 120. In some
implementations, the competition management server 105 analyzes
event information from the remote devices associated with a
competition to determine the statistics for the competition.
[0058] Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, exemplary user interfaces
1300, 1400 displayed on an user computing device 115 when the user
selects a tab 1305 to view a list of current sporting competitions
1310, 1410 (e.g., sporting competitions that have not concluded) is
shown and described. In some implementations, the list of current
sporting competitions may identify the teams in the competition,
the current score in the competition, and an indication of the
amount of time that has elapsed in the competition.
[0059] In some implementations, when the user selects the tab 1305
to view a list of current competitions, the competition management
server 105 may determine the sporting competitions in progress. The
competition management server 105 may transmit a list of the
competitions to the user computing device 115 for the user's
selection. In some implementations, the competition management
server 105 may sort the sporting competitions according to the user
account's preferences. For example, based on the account
preferences, the competition management server 105 may first
present American football competitions in the Eastern Division of
the AFC first, followed by American football competitions in other
divisions. Then, the server 105 may present the competitions in the
NFC or competitions for other sports, e.g. baseball.
[0060] In some implementations, the competition management server
105 may transmit multiple lists to the user computing device 115.
These lists may separate the different types of sporting
competitions, e.g. different lists for baseball competitions and
American football competitions. In these implementations, the user
may toggle between the lists to view the sporting competitions in
progress for different sports.
[0061] In some implementations, the user may select a competition
from a list of current sporting competitions 1310, 1410. The user
computing device 115 may display a user interface 1500 with the
identities of the teams in the competition, the current score, and
an indication of the amount of time remaining in the competition
(e.g., the current quarter, inning), as depicted in FIG. 15. The
interface 1500 may include a control 1505 that, when activated,
would allow the user to begin using the competitive strategy
service for the competition.
[0062] The user computing device 115 may transmits the request to
user the service for the selected competition to the competition
management server 105. The competition management server 105 may
retrieve information about the selected competition. In some
implementations, the server 105 may retrieve the information from
internal memory. In some implementations, the server 105 may
retrieve the information from an external memory.
[0063] The server 105 may retrieve, by way of example, information
on the starting line-up for each team and the status of the
competition (e.g., no score, 13 minutes and 6 seconds left in the
first quarter, 3.sup.rd down, 4 yards to 1.sup.st down, 27 yards to
the end zone). The competition management server 105 may also
provide the plays that have occurred, such as the exemplary plays
listed in FIG. 16. The competition management server 105 may
forward this information to the user computing device 115. The
device 115 may display any of the information from the server 105
to the user. In particular, the device 115 may display the plays
that have already occurred in a competition in exemplary
screenshots such as the screenshots 1600 of FIG. 16. In various
implementations, if the user is following multiple competitions,
the user computing device 115 may permit the user to toggle between
screenshots with the plays for the selected competitions.
[0064] Based on the status of the competition, the competition
management server 105 may identify potential plays. For example, in
an American football competition, the server 105 may identify
potential plays based on the number of the down, the number of
yards to go, the amount of time left in the competition, the field
positions of the team, the score of the competition, or any other
factor. In another example, in a baseball competition, the server
105 may identify potential plays based on the number of the inning,
the number of outs, and/or the number and positions of players on
base.
[0065] In some implementations, the competition management server
105 may store predetermined sets of potential plays according to
the values of any combination of the above factors. For example,
the server 105 may store a predetermined set of potential plays to
be presented on every first down in an American football game. For
example, the server 105 may store a predetermined set of potential
plays to be presented whenever a football team is within 10 yards
of the end zone. For example, the server 105 may store a
predetermined set of potential plays to be presented in a baseball
game whenever a runner is on second base in an inning with two
outs. For example, the server 105 may store a predetermined set of
potential plays to be presented in a baseball game whenever a
runner is on first base in an inning with one out.
[0066] Referring now to FIGS. 17-25, screenshots of user interfaces
with exemplary potential plays for an American football game are
shown and described. With reference to FIG. 17, a user interface
1700 may display six potential plays when a team is on the 30-yard
line with a first down. In this implementation, the user interface
1700 may include an icon corresponding to a prediction that the
team will run the football for more than five (5) yards 1705, an
icon corresponding to a prediction that the team will run the
football for less than five (5) yards 1710, an icon corresponding
to a prediction that the team will pass the football for more than
ten (10) yards 1715, an icon corresponding to a prediction that the
team will pass the football for less than ten (10) yards 1720, an
icon corresponding to a prediction that the team will score a
touchdown 1725, and an icon corresponding to a prediction that the
opposing team will intercept the football 1730.
[0067] With reference to FIG. 18, a user interface 1800 may display
four potential plays when a team is on the 30-yard line with a
second down and seven yards to go. In this implementation, the user
interface 1800 may include an icon corresponding to a prediction
that the team will run the football 1805, an icon corresponding to
a prediction that the team will pass the football 1810, an icon
corresponding to a prediction that the team will score a touchdown
1815, and an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team will
score a field goal 1820.
[0068] With reference to FIG. 19, a user interface 1900 may display
two potential plays when a team is on the 30-yard line with a third
down and eight yards to go. In this implementation, the user
interface 1900 may include an icon corresponding to a prediction
that the team will achieve a first down 1905 and an icon
corresponding to a prediction that the team will be held 1910.
[0069] With reference to FIG. 20, a user interface 2000 may display
five potential plays when a team is on the 30-yard line with a
fourth down and seven yards to go. In this implementation, the user
interface 2000 may include an icon corresponding to a prediction
that the team will punt 2005, an icon corresponding to a prediction
that the team will achieve a first down 2010, an icon corresponding
to a prediction that the team will be held 2015, an icon
corresponding to a prediction that the team will score a touchdown
2020, and an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team will
score a field goal 2025.
[0070] With reference to FIG. 21, a user interface 2100 may display
two potential plays when a team attempts a field goal. In this
implementation, the user interface 2100 may include an icon
corresponding to a prediction that the team will score the field
goal 2105 and an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team
will miss the field goal 2110.
[0071] With reference to FIG. 22, a user interface 2200 may display
four potential plays after a team has scored a touchdown. In this
implementation, the user interface 2200 may include an icon
corresponding to a prediction that the team will score an extra
point via a field goal 2205, an icon corresponding to a prediction
that the team will fail to obtain an extra point by missing the
field goal 2210, an icon corresponding to a prediction that the
team will make a successful two-point conversion 2215, and an icon
corresponding to a prediction that the team will fail to make a
two-point conversion 2220.
[0072] With reference to FIG. 23, a user interface 2300 may display
a slider 2305 a user may manipulate for a prediction about the
position a football team will acquire on a kick return. The user
may move the slider 2305 to a position corresponding to the
prediction (e.g., the 20-yard line).
[0073] With reference to FIG. 24, a user interface 2400 may display
a slider 2405 a user may manipulate for a prediction about the
position a football team will acquire on a punt return.
[0074] The user may move the slider 2405 to a position
corresponding to the prediction (e.g., the 35-yard line).
[0075] With reference to FIG. 25, a user interface 2500 may display
two predictions when a coach challenges a decision in the
competition. In this implementation, the user interface 2500 may
include an icon corresponding to a prediction that the decision
will be overturned 2505 and an icon corresponding to a prediction
that the decision will be upheld 2510.
[0076] Referring now to FIGS. 26-31, screenshots of user interfaces
used in the course of making a prediction for a play in a sporting
competition are shown and described. With reference to FIG. 26, the
competition management server 105 may transmit the potential plays
for display on the user computing device 115. The user computing
device 115 may display the potential plays according to, for
example, icons 2605, 2610, 2615, 2620, 2625, 2630, 2635, 2640 on
the user interface 2600 shown in FIG. 26. In some implementations,
the user interface 2600 may include a timer 2645 that may allot a
predetermined period of time for the user to select a play (e.g.,
15 seconds).
[0077] With reference to FIG. 27, a user interface 2700 in which a
user has eliminated all but two potential plays is depicted. In
this implementation, an icon corresponding to a prediction that the
team will complete a pass longer than 10 yards 2705 and an icon
corresponding to a prediction that the team will score a touchdown
2710 remain active. The potential plays that the user has
eliminated from consideration may be grayed out. In some
implementations, the user may eliminate a potential play according
to a predetermined control. For example, the user may double tap an
icon corresponding to a potential play to gray out the icon. For
example, the user may swipe upwards along the icon to eliminate the
potential play.
[0078] In some implementations, the user may select an icon
corresponding to a potential play. The user may change the selected
play before the period of time elapses, after which the user
computing device 115 transmits the user's selection to the
competition management server 105. In some implementations, if the
user has not selected a potential play at this time, the user
computing device 115 registers the lack of selection with the
competition management server 105.
[0079] With reference to FIG. 28, a user interface 2800 may depict
the predictions 2805 the user and the user's competitors (e.g.,
friends, competitors in a league) have selected. In some
implementations, the user computing device 115 may depict such an
interface 2800 after the period of time for making predictions has
elapsed. In some implementations, the competition management server
105 may receive the predictions from users in a group (e.g.,
network of friends, competitive league). The server 105 may
broadcast the predictions of the users to each member of the
group.
[0080] In operation, the competition management server 105 may
continually ping the event feed server 110 to determine if another
play has occurred in the competition. In some implementations, the
competition management server 105 begins communication with the
event feed server 110 upon receipt of the user's selection. In
other implementations, the competition management server 105
continually pings the event feed server 110 regardless of the
detection of a user selection.
[0081] In some implementations, the event feed server 110 may send
information about each event (e.g., play) as the information
becomes available. When the event feed server sends the
information, the competition management server 105 may not ping the
event feed server 110 for information.
[0082] When the play becomes available, the competition management
server 105 may determine the number of points to award users who
correctly predicted the play. The server 105 may base the number of
points on the probability of the play occur. The competition
management server 105 may calculate the probability of the
potential play according to, inter alia, the status of the
competition. For example, regardless of the amount of time left in
a football competition, if the offensive team finds itself 30 yards
from its own goal posts, the competition management server 105 may
calculate a high probability that the next play will be a punt. In
another example, if there are 2 minutes left in the last quarter of
a football competition, the offensive team is 4 yards from the end
zone, the score is 24-17 in favor of the defensive team, and the
play is the 2.sup.nd down, the competition management server 105
may calculate a higher probability that the next play will result
in a touchdown. In further examples, if a baseball competition is
in the bottom of the eighth inning and the team at-bat has no outs,
a runner at first base, and a tied competition, the competition
management server 105 may calculate a high probability for the next
play to be a bunt. Likewise, if such a competition had one out and
a runner at second base, the server 105 may calculate a high
probability for the next play to be a sacrifice fly.
[0083] The server 105 may calculate the probabilities according to
any probabilistic model applicable to events. For example, the
server 105 may statistically analyze plays from a database of past
football or baseball competitions (or any other type of sporting
competition) to determine the probabilities of the play. In some
implementations, the server 105 may identify past events according
to the team, the number of the down, the identity of the
quarterback, the score differential between the teams, the amount
of time remaining in the competition, the season record for the
team, or any other factor in any combination. From the identified
events, the server may calculate a probability that the team would
make the actual play.
[0084] For example, a user may be following an American football
game between Team A and Team B in the playoffs. Team A may have
scored eight fewer points than Team B. Team A's primary quarterback
may be injured, and the coach may have included a secondary
quarterback in the primary quarterback's place. Team A may be 25
yards from the end zone, with a second down and 7 yards until a
first down. There may be four minutes and thirty-two seconds
remaining in the fourth quarter. In some implementations, the
competition management server 105 may identify all plays in the
past 10 years when Team A trailed another team by less than 10
points in the final quarter of a game. Of these plays, the
competition management server 105 may identify plays that occurred
within 30 yards of the end zone, plays that occurred with a
secondary quarterback, plays that occurred on a second down, or any
combination thereof. The competition management server 105 may
determine the probabilities regarding plays that may occur.
[0085] In another example, a user may be following a baseball game
between Team A and Team B during the regular season. The game may
be occurring in Team B's stadium. The game may be in the bottom of
the 7.sup.th inning There may be a runner at first base, and one
out in the inning. Reliever R may be on the mound. Batter BB may be
at bat. Team B may be trailing Team A by one run. In some
implementations, the competition management server 105 may identify
all plays in the past 25 years when Team B trailed another team by
three or 8.sup.th, fewer runs in the seventh, 6 or 9.sup.th inning
Of these plays, the competition management server 105 may identify
plays that occurred at Team B's stadium, with Reliever R on the
mound, Batter BB at bat, one out in the inning, a runner at first
base, or any combination thereof. The competition management server
105 may determine the probabilities regarding plays that may
occur.
[0086] Further, from these probabilities, the competition
management server 105 may assign point values to the plays. In some
implementations, the lower the probability that a play will occur,
the more points the server 105 may assign to the potential play. In
some implementations, the number of points may be the difference
between 100 and the probability the play would occur (e.g., a play
with a 14% chance of occurring would be assigned a point value of
86). Relating the probability of a play with the point value would
provide greater rewards to users for correctly predicting unlikely
and/or risky plays.
[0087] The competition management server 105 may compare the
identity of the actual play with the play selected by the user. The
competition management server 105 may update the prediction point
score and/or the prediction percentage score of the user based upon
the comparison. If the user did not make a selection before the
period of time elapsed or before the event feed server 110
transmitted the identity of the next play to the competition
management server 105 before the user could make a selection, the
user's prediction scores may remain the same. If the user
incorrectly predicted the play, the competition management server
105 may deduct points from the user's prediction point score. The
number of points deducted may be a constant, predetermined number,
e.g. 10 points. In some implementations, the competition management
server 105 may leave the user's prediction point score unchanged in
response to an incorrect prediction. The server 105 may also adjust
the user's prediction percentage score. If the user correctly
predicted the play, the server 105 may add the number of points
corresponding to the play to the user's prediction point score.
Additionally, the server 105 may update the user's prediction
percentage score.
[0088] In some implementations, the server 105 may update the
user's prediction score based on a comparison between the user's
prediction, the actual event, and other users' predictions.
[0089] For example, the server 105 may increase the user's
prediction score by an additional amount if the user is the only
member of a group (e.g., a competitive league) to make an accurate
prediction of the play. For example, the server 105 may increase
the user's prediction score by an extra ten points. In some
examples, the server 105 may divide the number of points awarded
for making a correct prediction among the users who made the
correct prediction. For example, suppose a play had an 80% chance
of occurring. In some implementations, the server 105 would award
20 points for an accurate prediction of the play. If four users in
a competitive league correctly predicted the play, the server 105
may divide the 20 points among the four users to award each user 5
points.
[0090] In various implementations, the user computing device 115
updates the user's prediction scores. In these implementations,
after the competition management server 105 transmits the identity
of the actual play received from the events feed server 110, the
competition management server 105 recalculates the probabilities
and corresponding point values of the potential plays. The server
105 transmits the point values to the user computing device 115.
When the server 105 transmits the identity of an actual play, the
user computing device 115 compares the actual play with the user's
selected prediction and updates the user's prediction scores
accordingly.
[0091] With reference to FIG. 29, a user interface 2900 with a
window 2910 informing the user that his or her prediction was
incorrect is shown. With reference to FIG. 30, a user interface
3000 with a window 3010 informing the user that his or her
prediction was correct is shown. The window 3010 may include the
number of points to be added to the user's prediction score as a
result of the correct prediction. In some implementations, the
user's selected prediction for the play 3005 may remain
highlighted. The user interface 3000 may include a control 3015
that enables real-time communication with other users of the
service. The user interface 300 may include a control 3020 that
permits access to statistics regarding various metrics of users of
the service.
[0092] Referring now to FIG. 31, a user interface 3100 for
communication with other users may be displayed upon selection of
the communication control 3015, by way of example. The interface
3100 may include a window 3105 that displays comments. In some
implementations, the window 3105 may display comments by friends
following the same game, according to an account setting. In some
implementations, the window 3105 may display comments by users in
the same competitive league who are following the same game,
according to an account setting. The user interface 3100 may
include a control 3110 for the user to input a comment. Selection
of the control 3110 may retrieve the computing device's input
interface 3200, as depicted in FIG. 32. The input interface may
include a keypad 3205, a window for displaying inputted text 3210,
and a submission control 3215. Upon selection of the submission
control 3215, the text inputted into the window 3210 may be
transmitted to the competition management server 105. The server
105 may broadcast the text to all user computing devices 115
associated with users following the same game in the same grouping
as the user (e.g., friends, competitive league).
[0093] In some embodiments, then the sporting competition ends, the
competition management server 105 may transmit a message indicating
the competition's end to the user computing device 115. If the user
computing device 115 is tracking the user's prediction score(s),
the device 115 may transmit the user's updated scores to the
competition management server 105, where the server 105 stores the
scores in the user's account. In some implementations, after a
competition ends, the user computing device 115 may retrieve
updated prediction scores of other users in the user's competition
leagues from the competition management server 105. The user
computing device 115 may display updated standings for members of
competitive leagues based on the updated scores, as in the
exemplary screenshot of FIG. 33. In various implementations, the
mobile computer device 115 may return the user to a main menu after
a competition ends, and from that main menu, the user may select an
icon to view updated standings for users in competitive
leagues.
[0094] Referring now to FIGS. 34 and 35, exemplary user interfaces
3400 and 3500 displayed in response to selection of the control
3020 that permits access to statistics regarding various metrics of
users of the service, by way of example, are shown and described.
In response to the user command to access statistics, the user
computing device 115 may retrieve statistics determined by the
competition management server 105. A user may select a tab 3405 for
comparing statistics among the user's friends. The user interface
3400 may display prediction statistics 3410 for the user's friends,
as identified in the user's account. The statistics may include
each user's number of prediction points. The statistics may include
each user's percentage of correct predictions. A user may select a
tab 3505 for comparing statistics among all the users of the
service. The user interface 3400 may display prediction statistics
3510 for all the users.
[0095] Referring now to FIG. 36, an exemplary user interface 3600
for comparing statistics between two users is shown and described.
In some implementations, a user may compare statistics by selecting
two users from the list of users, as depicted in the screenshots
3400 and 3500 of FIGS. 34 and 35. In some implementations, the
interface 3600 may show an overall comparison of the users'
statistics. In some implementations, the interface 3600 may show a
comparison of the users' statistics for a particular game. The
statistics may be any metric, such as the percentage of correct
predictions for rushing, passing, scoring touchdowns, or any other
play. The statistics may be the number of points earned by each
user for his or her correct predictions.
[0096] In some implementations, the competitive strategy prediction
service may permit users to invite other users to join the service.
The service may enable users to communicate with users through
social networks. In response to user selection of the contacts icon
3705, the user computing device 115 may display a user interface
3700, as shown in FIG. 37. The user interface 3700 may include a
control 3710 for accessing the user's existing contacts on social
networks. The user interface 3700 may include a control 3715 for
viewing pending invitations sent to contacts for joining the
service. The user interface may include a display of the user's
existing contacts within the service 3720.
[0097] When a user selects the control 3710 for accessing the
user's existing contacts on social networks, the user computing
device 115 may display the exemplary user interface 3800 depicted
in FIG. 38. The user interface 3800 may include a list 3810 of
sources of contacts. In some implementations, sources may include
contacts in a social network. In some implementations, sources may
include contacts stored in an address book on the computing device
110.
[0098] The user may select the control When a user selects the
control 3710 for accessing the user's existing contacts on social
networks, the user computing device 115 may display the exemplary
user interface 3800 depicted in FIG. 38. The user interface 3800
may include a list of sources of contacts. In some implementations,
sources 3810, 3815 may include contacts in a social network. In
some implementations, sources 3820 may include contacts stored in
an address book on the computing device 110.
[0099] The user may access contacts in a social network by
selecting the connection control 3810, 3815. The user computing
device 115 may display a user interface 3900 that lists users on
the social network, as shown in FIG. 39. In some implementations,
the user computing device 115 may show users on the social network
who are already using the competitive strategy prediction service.
The user may add a contact to the user's group of friends on the
service by selecting an "add" control 3920 adjacent to the
contact's name. In some implementations, the user may search for
the name of a contact by inputting text into a search field
3910.
[0100] Referring now to FIG. 40, a user interface 4000 for inviting
contacts to join the competitive strategy prediction service is
shown and described. The user may have accessed contacts in an
address book stored on the user computing device 115, by way of
example. In some implementations, the user interface 4000 may
depict contacts 4005 who are already users of the competitive
strategy prediction service. The user may add a contact to his or
her group of friends on the service by selecting the "add" control
4010 adjacent to the contact's name. In some implementations, the
user interface 4000 may depict contacts 4015 who are not users of
the service. The user may invite a contact to join the service by
selecting the "invite" control 4020 adjacent to the contact's name.
In response, the service may send an invitation to the contact via
e-mail, by way of example.
[0101] FIGS. 41A and 41B depict block diagrams of an exemplary
computing device that can be used in some implementations of the
devices of FIG. 1 (e.g., competition management server 105, event
feed server 110, computing device 115a-n, remote device 120). As
shown in FIGS. 41A and 41B, each computing device includes a
central processing unit 4101, and a main memory unit 4122. As shown
in FIG. 41A, a computing device 4100 may include a visual display
device 4124, a keyboard 4126 and/or a pointing device 4127, such as
a mouse. Each computing device 4100 may also include additional
optional elements, such as one or more input/output devices
4130a-4130b (generally referred to using reference numeral 4130),
and a cache memory 4140 in communication with the central
processing unit 4101.
[0102] The central processing unit 4101 is any logic circuitry that
responds to and processes instructions fetched from the main memory
unit 4122. In many implementations, the central processing unit is
provided by a microprocessor unit, such as: those manufactured by
Intel Corporation of Mountain View, Calif.; those manufactured by
Motorola Corporation of Schaumburg, Ill.; those manufactured by
Transmeta Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif.; the RS/6000
processor, those manufactured by International Business Machines of
White Plains, N.Y.; or those manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices
of Sunnyvale, Calif. The computing device 4100 may be based on any
of these processors, or any other processor capable of operating as
described herein.
[0103] Main memory unit 4122 may be one or more memory chips
capable of storing data and allowing any storage location to be
directly accessed by the microprocessor 4101, such as Static random
access memory (SRAM), Burst SRAM or SynchBurst SRAM (BSRAM),
Dynamic random access memory (DRAM), Fast Page Mode DRAM (FPM
DRAM), Enhanced DRAM (EDRAM), Extended Data Output RAM (EDO RAM),
Extended Data Output DRAM (EDO DRAM), Burst Extended Data Output
DRAM (BEDO DRAM), Enhanced DRAM (EDRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM),
JEDEC SRAM, PC100 SDRAM, Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM),
Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), SyncLink DRAM (SLDRAM), Direct Rambus DRAM
(DRDRAM), or Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM). The main memory 4122 may be
based on any of the above described memory chips, or any other
available memory chips capable of operating as described herein. In
the implementation shown in FIG. 41A, the processor 4101
communicates with main memory 4122 via a system bus 4150 (described
in more detail below). FIG. 41A depicts an implementation of a
computing device 4100 in which the processor communicates directly
with main memory 4122 via a memory port 4103. For example, in FIG.
41B the main memory 4122 may be DRDRAM.
[0104] FIG. 41B depicts an implementation in which the main
processor 4101 communicates directly with cache memory 4140 via a
secondary bus, sometimes referred to as a backside bus. In other
implementations, the main processor 4101 communicates with cache
memory 4140 using the system bus 4150. Cache memory 4140 typically
has a faster response time than main memory 4122 and is typically
provided by SRAM, BSRAM, or EDRAM. In the implementation shown in
FIG. 41A, the processor 4101 communicates with various I/O devices
4130 via a local system bus 4150. Various buses may be used to
connect the central processing unit 4101 to any of the I/O devices
4130, including a VESA VL bus, an ISA bus, an EISA bus, a
MicroChannel Architecture (MCA) bus, a PCI bus, a PCI-X bus, a
PCI-Express bus, or a NuBus. For implementations in which the I/O
device is a video display 4124, the processor 4101 may use an
Advanced Graphics Port (AGP) to communicate with the display 4124.
FIG. 41B depicts an implementation of a computer 4100 in which the
main processor 4101 communicates directly with I/O device 4130 via
HyperTransport, Rapid I/O, or InfiniBand. FIG. 41B also depicts an
implementation in which local busses and direct communication are
mixed: the processor 4101 communicates with I/O device 4130 using a
local interconnect bus while communicating with I/O device 4130
directly.
[0105] The computing device 4100 may support any suitable
installation device 4116, such as a floppy disk drive for receiving
floppy disks such as 3.5-inch, 5.25-inch disks or ZIP disks, a
CD-ROM drive, a CD-R/RW drive, a DVD-ROM drive, tape drives of
various formats, USB device, hard-drive or any other device
suitable for installing software and programs such as any client
agent 4120, or portion thereof. The computing device 4100 may
further comprise a storage device 4128, such as one or more hard
disk drives or redundant arrays of independent disks, for storing
an operating system and other related software, and for storing
application software programs such as any program related to the
client agent 4120. Optionally, any of the installation devices 4116
could also be used as the storage device 4128. Additionally, the
operating system and the software may be run from a bootable
medium, for example, a bootable CD, such as KNOPPIX.RTM., a
bootable CD for GNU/Linux that is available as a GNU/Linux
distribution from knoppix.net.
[0106] Furthermore, the computing device 4100 may include a network
interface 4118 to interface to a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide
Area Network (WAN) or the Internet through a variety of connections
including, but not limited to, standard telephone lines, LAN or WAN
links (e.g., 802.11, T1, T3, 56 kb, X.25), broadband connections
(e.g., ISDN, Frame Relay, ATM), wireless connections, or some
combination of any or all of the above. The network interface 4118
may comprise a built-in network adapter, network interface card,
PCMCIA network card, card bus network adapter, wireless network
adapter, USB network adapter, modem or any other device suitable
for interfacing the computing device 4100 to any type of network
capable of communication and performing the operations described
herein.
[0107] A wide variety of I/O devices 4130a-4130n may be present in
the computing device 4100. Input devices include keyboards, mice,
trackpads, trackballs, touchscreens, microphones, and drawing
tablets. Output devices include video displays, speakers, inkjet
printers, laser printers, and dye-sublimation printers. The I/O
devices 4130 may be controlled by an I/O controller 4123 as shown
in FIG. 41A. The I/O controller may control one or more I/O devices
such as a keyboard 4126 and a pointing device 4127, e.g., a mouse
or optical pen. Furthermore, an I/O device may also provide storage
4128 and/or an installation medium 4116 for the computing device
4100. In still other implementations, the computing device 4100 may
provide USB connections to receive handheld USB storage devices
such as the USB Flash Drive line of devices manufactured by
Twintech Industry, Inc. of Los Alamitos, Calif.
[0108] In some implementations, the computing device 4100 may
comprise or be connected to multiple display devices 4124a-4124n,
which each may be of the same or different type and/or form. As
such, any of the I/O devices 4130a-4130n and/or the I/O controller
4123 may comprise any type and/or form of suitable hardware,
software, or combination of hardware and software to support,
enable or provide for the connection and use of multiple display
devices 4124a-4124n by the computing device 4100. For example, the
computing device 4100 may include any type and/or form of video
adapter, video card, driver, and/or library to interface,
communicate, connect or otherwise use the display devices
4124a-4124n. In one implementation, a video adapter may comprise
multiple connectors to interface to multiple display devices
4124a-4124n. In other implementations, the computing device 4100
may include multiple video adapters, with each video adapter
connected to one or more of the display devices 4124a-4124n. In
some implementations, any portion of the operating system of the
computing device 4100 may be configured for using multiple displays
4124a-4124n. In other implementations, one or more of the display
devices 4124a-4124n may be provided by one or more other computing
devices, such as computing devices 4100a and 4100b connected to the
computing device 4100, for example, via a network. These
implementations may include any type of software designed and
constructed to use another computer's display device as a second
display device 4124a for the computing device 4100. One ordinarily
skilled in the art will recognize and appreciate the various ways
and implementations that a computing device 4100 may be configured
to have multiple display devices 4124a-4124n.
[0109] In further implementations, an I/O device 4130 may be a
bridge 4170 between the system bus 4150 and an external
communication bus, such as a USB bus, an Apple Desktop Bus, an
RS-232 serial connection, a SCSI bus, a FireWire bus, a FireWire
800 bus, an Ethernet bus, an AppleTalk bus, a Gigabit Ethernet bus,
an Asynchronous Transfer Mode bus, a HIPPI bus, a Super HIPPI bus,
a SerialPlus bus, a SCI/LAMP bus, a FibreChannel bus, or a Serial
Attached small computer system interface bus.
[0110] A computing device 4100 of the sort depicted in FIGS. 41A
and 41B typically operate under the control of operating systems,
which control scheduling of tasks and access to system resources.
The computing device 4100 may be running any operating system such
as any of the versions of the Microsoft.RTM. Windows operating
systems, the different releases of the Unix and Linux operating
systems, any version of the Mac OS.RTM. for Macintosh computers,
any embedded operating system, any real-time operating system, any
open source operating system, any proprietary operating system, any
operating systems for mobile computing devices, or any other
operating system capable of running on the computing device and
performing the operations described herein. Typical operating
systems include: WINDOWS 3.x, WINDOWS 95, WINDOWS 98, WINDOWS 2000,
WINDOWS NT 3.51, WINDOWS NT 4.0, WINDOWS CE, and WINDOWS XP, all of
which are manufactured by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.;
MacOS, manufactured by Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif.; OS/2,
manufactured by International Business Machines of Armonk, N.Y.;
and Linux, a freely-available operating system distributed by
Caldera Corp. of Salt Lake City, Utah, or any type and/or form of a
Unix operating system, among others.
[0111] In other implementations, the computing device 4100 may have
different processors, operating systems, and input devices
consistent with the device. Moreover, the computing device 4100 may
be any workstation, desktop computer, server, any other computer,
or other form of computing or telecommunications device that is
capable of communication and that has sufficient processor power
and memory capacity to perform the operations described herein.
[0112] The user computing device 115 may be embodied in any one of
the following computing devices: a handheld computer; tablet
computer; mobile telephone; portable telecommunication device;
media playing device; gaming system; netbook; a kiosk; device of
the iPad or iPod families of devices manufactured by Apple
Computer; or any other type and/or form of computing,
telecommunications, or media device that is capable of
communication and that has sufficient processor power and memory
capacity to perform the methods and systems described herein,
including non-mobile devices. In some implementations, the user
computing device 115 may be a mobile device such as a Java-enabled
cellular telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA), e.g. the
i55sr, i58sr, i85s, i90c, i95c1, or the im1100 manufactured by
Motorola Corporation; the 6035 or 7135, manufactured by Kyocera; or
the i300 or i330, manufactured by Samsung Electronic Co., Ltd. In
various implementations, the user computing device 115 may be any
device that uses the Android operating system of Google Inc., such
as the HTC Dream manufactured by HTC Corporation.
[0113] In some implementations, any of actions executed by the
competition management server 105, event feed server 110, or remote
devices 120 may be executed on one or more computing devices. For
example, actions executed by the competition management server 105
may be executed on one or more computing devices. Some actions
executed by the competition management server 105 and some actions
executed by the event feed server 110 may be executed on the same
computing device. The actions executed by the competition
management server 105, event feed server 110, and/or remote devices
120 may be allocated among a plurality of computing devices. In
some implementations, the computing devices may be devices in a
cloud computing environment. In some implementations, the computing
devices may communicate over at least one network.
[0114] Referring now to FIG. 42, an exemplary user interface 4200
displayed on an user computing device 115 when the user selects a
tab 42 to view a list of current ice hockey competitions 4210 is
shown and described. In some implementations, the list of current
ice hockey competitions may identify the teams in the competition,
the current score in the competition, and an indication of the
amount of time that has elapsed in the competition (e.g., the
current period of the competition).
[0115] In some implementations, when the user selects the tab 4205
to view a list of current competitions, the competition management
server 105 may determine the ice hockey competitions in progress.
The competition management server 105 may transmit a list of the
competitions to the user computing device 115 for the user's
selection. In some implementations, the competition management
server 105 may sort the ice hockey competitions according to the
user account's preferences.
[0116] In some implementations, the user may select a competition
from a list of current ice hockey competitions 4210. The user
computing device 115 may display a user interface 4300 with the
identities of the teams in the competition, the current score, and
an indication of the amount of time remaining in the competition
(e.g., the current period), as depicted in FIG. 43. The interface
4300 may include a control 4315 that, when activated, would allow
the user to begin using the competitive strategy service for the
competition.
[0117] Referring now to FIG. 44, an exemplary user interface 4400
used in the course of making a prediction for an outcome of a
sporting competition is shown and described. The user interface
4400 may permit a user to predict a final score of an ice hockey
competition. In some implementations, the interface 4400 may
include dials 4410, 4420 for the user to scroll through potential
final scores for the teams. In some implementations, the interface
4400 may include a control 4425 whose activation by the user
submits the predicted scores to the competition management server
105.
[0118] Referring now to FIG. 45, an exemplary user interface 4500
used in the course of making a prediction for plays in a
competition is shown and described. The user interface 4500 may
include an icon 4505 corresponding to a prediction that Team A will
successfully score in a first shootout and an icon 4510
corresponding to a prediction that Team A will not successfully
score in a first shootout. The user interface 4500 may include an
icon 4515 corresponding to a prediction that Team A will
successfully score in a second shootout and an icon 4520
corresponding to a prediction that Team A will not successfully
score in a second shootout.
[0119] The user interface 4500 may include an icon 4525
corresponding to a prediction that Team B will not successfully
score in a first shootout and an icon 4530 corresponding to a
prediction that Team B will successfully score in a first shootout.
The user interface 4500 may include an icon 4535 corresponding to a
prediction that Team B will not successfully score in a second
shootout and an icon 4540 corresponding to a prediction that Team B
will successfully score in a second shootout.
[0120] Referring now to FIG. 46, an exemplary user interface 4600
used in the course of making a prediction for plays in a
competition. The user interface 4600 may include an icon 4610
corresponding to a prediction that an ice hockey team with at least
one player advantage will score a goal during a power play, an icon
4615 corresponding to a prediction that neither ice hockey team
will score a goal during a power play, and an icon 4620
corresponding to a prediction that the ice hockey team with at
least one player disadvantage will score a goal during a power
play.
[0121] With reference to FIG. 47, a user interface 4700 may display
a slider 4705 a user may manipulate for a prediction about the time
when an ice hockey team will score a goal during a power play. The
user may move the slider 4705 to a position corresponding to the
prediction (e.g., 1 minute, 15 seconds).
[0122] With reference to FIG. 48, an exemplary user interface 4800
used in the course of making a prediction for an outcome in a
competition is shown and described. The user interface 4800 may
include an icon 4810 corresponding to a prediction that a full
boxing round will elapse without a boxer being knocked out. The
user interface 4800 may include an icon 4820 corresponding to a
prediction that a boxer will be knocked out during the round.
[0123] With reference to FIG. 49, an exemplary user interface 4900
used in the course of making a prediction for an outcome in a
competition is shown and described. The user interface 4900 may
include icons 4910, 4920 enabling a user to select which boxer the
user predicts will successfully throw the first punch in a boxing
match.
[0124] Referring now to FIG. 50, an exemplary user interface 5000
for displaying statistics about a boxing match is shown and
described. The user interface may display controls enabling a user
to select the type of statistics for viewing. For example, the
interface 5000 may include a control 5010 for viewing the number of
punches thrown. The interface 5000 may include a control 5015 for
viewing the percentage of punches thrown successfully. The
interface 5000 may include a control 5020 for viewing the
statistics for a round.
[0125] Referring now to FIG. 51, an exemplary user interface 5100
for comparing statistics between two users who made predictions for
a boxing match is shown and described. In some implementations, a
user may compare statistics by selecting two users from the list of
users. In some implementations, the interface 5100 may show an
overall comparison of the users' statistics. In some
implementations, the interface 5100 may show a comparison of the
users' statistics for a particular boxing match. The statistics may
be any metric, such as the percentage of correct predictions for
landed punches, thrown punches, first punches of the rounds, final
punches of the round, and winner predictions. The statistics may be
the number of points earned by each user for his or her correct
predictions.
[0126] In view of the structure, functions and apparatus of the
systems and methods described here, in some implementations, a
dynamic, efficient and intelligent system for scoring competitive
strategy predictions of users on a play-by-play basis is provided.
Having described certain implementations of methods and systems for
scoring competitive strategy predictions, it will now become
apparent to one of skill in the art that other implementations
incorporating the concepts of the disclosure may be used.
Therefore, the disclosure should not be limited to certain
implementations, but rather should be limited only by the spirit
and scope of the following claims.
* * * * *